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From the Vault: Nike Kobe 8 “Area 72”

All-Star Sneakers

From the Vault: Nike Kobe 8 “Area 72”

We reminisce about one of the greatest All-Star sneakers ever.

Matt DeSciora

For the second time in two weeks, we’re excited to talk about another classic sneaker from our inventory for our “From the Vault” series. This week’s feature celebrates the upcoming NBA All-Star Game, a basketball legend, and one of the greatest “All-Star” colorways in history all at once: the Nike Kobe 8 System+ “Area 72.”

Designed for Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, the Kobe 8 “Area 72” was part of Nike Basketball’s 2013 “All-Star” collection that featured among other sneakers, the signature shoes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant in colorways inspired by a fictional “Area 72” (think Area 51) that Nike Basketball created in celebration of Houston’s history with space exploration. (The 2013 All-Star Game was held in Houston.)

Nike Kobe 8 “Area 72”

Before we dive into the Nike Kobe 8 System+ “Area 72,” though, let’s take a moment to remember the greatness of Nike Basketball back in the late 2000s and 2010s. It was during this time that the brand was truly having fun and getting creative with the inspiration for some of its releases. In 2010, Nike Basketball honored LeBron’s “Decision” to join the Miami Heat with a Miami Vice-inspired version of the Nike LeBron 8 called the “South Beach.” A year later it treated Durant’s Nike KD 4 to a “Nerf” colorway that came packaged with a Nerf hoop and basketball for the ultimate collector’s item.

As a follow-up to those sneakers, Nike Basketball released the Nike Air Foamposite One “Galaxy” over All-Star Weekend in 2012. You may have heard of it before.

That brings us to 2013 and the Nike Kobe 8 “Area 72.” With the success of the “Galaxy” collection from 2012’s All-Star Weekend still fresh on the mind, Nike Basketball once again explored an outer space theme with its 2013 “All-Star” collection. Sneakers in the “Area 72” pack came with details inspired by extraterrestrial life, which is why the Nike Kobe 8 “Area 72” has an eye-catching orange martian surface graphic on its design and bold green details.

As far as how the Kobe 8 “Area 72” fared on the court, Kobe, who at that point in his All-Star Game career played more of a facilitator role, put up a respectable 9 points on 4 of 9 shooting from the field in the shoe. But even though he took a back seat and let younger stars like Durant and Russell Westbrook handle the load, Kobe’s “Area 72” sneaker was undoubtedly one of the more flashy colorways on a court full of fun, creative “All-Star” sneakers.

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